VolksWagen is not the only auto maker under fire right now over potential legal issues. Hagens Berman today filed a fourth class action against General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) adding new states and claims to the suit alleging the cars contain a cooling system defect rendering them stuck at low, unsafe speeds.

Please see the release below for more information, including quotes from Hagens Berman’s managing partner leading the case, Steve Berman.

DETROIT – A class-action lawsuit brought by owners of Corvette Z06 track cars against General Motors is heating up, as the law firms Hagens Berman, Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, the Miller Law Firm, and Schuler Halvorsen Weisser Zoller Overbeck today filed a fourth class action against GM adding new states and claims to the suit alleging the cars contain a cooling system defect rendering them stuck at low, unsafe speeds.

Attorneys estimate there are more than 30,000 affected Corvette Z06 cars in the proposed class, and states that GM knew about the defect before it sold the cars.

The defect at the center of the lawsuit manifests after only about 15 minutes of track driving, when affected Corvette Z06 models overheat and enter limp mode due to a defective cooling system. When the vehicle enters limp mode its power and speed are “drastically reduced,” creating an obviously dangerous event when surrounded by speeding cars, the lawsuit says. Owners report they have experienced limp mode also while on public roadways. The defect also causes damage to the engine due to warping from high temperatures, the suit says.

The newest suit filed in the Corvette Z06 limp mode case includes owners from Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas and adds implied warranty claims to the list of complaints against GM, with claims under state consumer and warranty laws.

“Instead of building a car that could live up to the hype it created, GM chose to pour its resources into an onslaught of deceptive marketing, touting to would-be buyers that the Corvette Z06 had ‘track-proven structure and technologies,’” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. “What Z06 owners received from GM – a car that peters out after 15 minutes of track driving – is anything but ready for the track.”

“To add insult to injury, when notified about the Z06 cooling system defect, GM chose to ignore the issue altogether,” Berman added.

The lawsuit states, “When Plaintiff and the other Class members purchased or leased their Z06s, GM expressly warranted in writing that the Z06s were covered by a Limited Warranty and that the Limited Warranty formed the basis of the bargain. GM expressly warranted that at ‘no charge’ it will repair ‘any vehicle defect.’ GM breached its warranty obligations by selling inherently defective Z06s.” The suit adds that GM was also obligated to pay for or reimburse Z06 owners for costs of purchasing aftermarket coolers and other costs associated with bringing their Z06s to dealerships for “futile repair efforts.”

One owner from South Carolina named in the lawsuit experiences the limp mode defect “every time he goes to the goes to the track,” yet paid approximately $120,000 for his car that was equipped with special features expected in a track car: special suspension, special steering, special brakes, and specific software settings, including a “Track App” and a heads-up tachometer display used for racing.

Another plaintiff in the suit “only has three track days on his vehicle, and it has overheated every time.”

Yet another plaintiff named in the suit paid $2,000 for dealership-installed upgrades for the overheating defect. Not only did the upgrades not work, but now his Z06 can only run on high-octane gasoline, costing him $100 to fill up the tank. “The last time he took it to the track after the upgrade, he only made it twice around the track before the vehicle overheated,” the lawsuit says.

The suit lists multiple owners who are unable to track their Corvette Z06 cars due to concern of the car entering limp mode.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for a proposed nationwide class of consumers who purchased or leased the affected vehicles, as well as injunctive relief for GM’s misconduct related to the design, manufacture, marketing, sale and lease of affected vehicles.

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